Hurry Up And Wait
by BroadwayDiva89
Summary: What happens when New York's favorite CSIs get stuck in an elevator? Craziness of course! SMacked, all characters included
1. Chapter 1

Hurry Up And Wait

Summary: What happens when New York's favorite CSIs get stuck in an elevator? Craziness of course!

A/N: This is my first CSI:NY story (my first story ever actually) so please be nice. Constructive criticism is always welcome. And sorry if the characters seem a little OOC, but this my first time writing these guys and it is FICTION :-) I don't think this idea has been done before. If it has, my apologies, I never meant to copy anyone else's idea. This story is set sometime before the compass killer was found. Angell's still alive. I've included all of the characters but I'm partial to SMACKED so sorry if this story is a little biased. Please review and let me know what you think

Disclaimer: Not mine. I unfortunately own NOTHING… although if anyone has any ideas about how I can acquire Flack, please let me know. I LOVE his blue eyes ;-)

Chapter 1: Stuck

Mac Taylor sat back and rubbed his tired eyes. He had gone over the evidence countless times but was no closer to finding the alleged compass killer. Sighing, he turned his head to look at the clock. 11:30 at night and he was no closer to finding this guy than he was when he started this morning. He let out a brief sigh. There had to be something he was missing. Some piece of evidence he was misconstruing. Just as he was about to go over the files again from the beginning, a warm voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, we're all heading out for a drink. Care to join us?" Stella asked as she poked her head in the door. Mac sighed and was about to politely decline the offer before catching a glimpse of her gentle green eyes pleading with him to leave work and join the rest of the team for a well deserved night off. As much as he wanted to catch the compass killer, Mac knew he wouldn't be very productive if he stayed at the lab any longer. Besides, he could never decline an offer from Stella.

"Ok," Mac replied giving Stella one of his signature half smiles.

"Great. Jess had to finish up some work at the precinct so she's going to meet us at the bar. I already rounded up the rest of the gang, we'll meet you by the elevator," Stella smiled before offering him a wink and taking her leave. Mac sat back momentarily and gathered his thoughts. He knew he was incredibly lucky to have a partner like Stella to keep him sane. However, Mac often found himself wondering whether they could be anything more than just partners as of late. Things had been different after they returned home from Greece. There were more lingering glances here, and gentle touches there. As much as he wanted their relationship to progress, he was too scared to make the first move.

"_I don't need coffee grounds to see how lucky I am to have you in my life."_ she had once said to him. The memory of her reading his coffee grounds still made him smile. Sighing, Mac closed the case file and placed it to the side of his desk before grabbing his coat and heading to the elevator to find Stella, Danny, Lindsay, Adam, Hawkes, Sid, and Flack all waiting.

"And that's how I ended up naked on the sidewalk in the middle of November," Sid concluded proudly. Danny and Flack were turning red with embarrassment while Stella and Lindsay were trying to look anywhere but at the strange medical examiner. Hawkes was vigorously pretending to text someone on his cell phone so as to escape listening to the awkward story. Adam looked like he wanted to cry.

"Mac! Thank goodness you're here!" Lindsay exclaimed as she looked gratefully at her approaching boss.

"Where's my goddaughter?" Mac asked as he pushed the button to the elevator.

"With a baby-sitter," Danny replied. "I love my baby girl more than anything in the world, but Lindsay and I just needed to go out for a night. Have a little alone time," Danny continued as the elevator arrived and everyone shuffled in. Mac pressed the button for the lobby.

"If you guys are looking for some alone time, my wife and I go to this great place called booty-shakers, it's-" Sid began only to be interrupted by the flickering of the elevator lights.

"Well…that's not good," Adam concluded as he looked up at the lights that were continuing to flicker on and off.

"I'm sure it's nothing," Hawkes said, more to himself than to Adam. Just then, the elevator stopped completely.

"Yeah, sure, nothing," Adam mocked as he anxiously tried to push the button for the lobby again. Nothing happened.

"Try the emergency call button," Lindsay suggested. Stella reached her hand forward.

"Oh, you have GOT to be kidding me," Stella sighed in frustration as she frantically pushed the emergency call button to no avail. Mac picked up the emergency phone but found no dial tone on the other end.

"Emergency phone's down too," he concluded as he faced the rest of the team.

"Cell phones?" Lindsay tried again. Each CSI pulled their phone from their respective pocket.

"No service. Great," Danny deadpanned.

"Well, this is terrific," Flack said as he shoved his phone back in his pocket.

"Sooooo….now what?" Adam asked as he nervously looked between his bosses and the rest of the team. Mac sighed before turning to the rest of his team.

"Did anyone notice whether there was anyone else still in the building?" he asked.

"It's 11:30 at night, the only people crazy enough to still be here at this God-awful hour are standing in the elevator now," Flack concluded.

"So, no one else is in the lab and we have no means of communication. What are we going to do?" Hawkes wondered. Mac rubbed the back of his neck with his hand before replying.

"Well, it doesn't look like there's a whole lot we can do. But Jess is meeting us at the bar, right? Sooner or later, she's bound to wonder why all of us haven't arrived yet and why we're not answering our phones. She'll have to come looking for us. In the meantime, we'll just have to sit tight." Each CSI offered a slight groan as they realized that they would be stuck in that elevator for quite a while. Adam shifted his weight nervously from side to side.

"Hey guys," Adam began nervously, "I know this is probably not the best time to mention this, but I really have to pee."

It was going to be a long night.

A/N: I know it's kind of short, but I just wanted to get them all in the stuck in the elevator. I already have a good chunk of the next chapter written (it's much longer, don't worry!) so it should be up soon! Please review and let me know what you think


	2. Chapter 2

Hurry Up And Wait

A/N: Thank you for all of your alerts/favorites/reviews. They made me super happy :) It turned out I didn't like what I had already written and scrapped it and wrote this instead. I wrote this at 3am with my roommate because neither of us could sleep so sorry if it's a little strange. We found it HI-larious. There's definitely some OOC, but that's why it's fanFICTION. Please review and let me know what you think. (Reviews make me want to post the next chapter faster… hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge ;) ) Enjoy :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing…except a picture of myself and Melina (and Melina's mom…long story) from when I saw her in Cabaret (AMAZING!)

Chapter 2 Boredom

"I'm bored," Flack announced a little while later. All the CSIs were now squished together and sitting on the ground attempting to get as comfortable as they could.

"At least your bladder's probably empty," Adam muttered miserably.

"I really hate to complain, but someone's foot is jabbing into my back," Stella announced.

"Whoops, my bad, sorry Stel," Adam apologized while scooting over.

"Ow! Ow!" Lindsay exclaimed as Adam accidentally kicked her shin.

"Easy there buddy," Danny gently warned. Adam smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry."

"Look, let's all sit in a circle on the periphery of the elevator. That way we can maximize our personal space and lean against the wall and stretch our legs if we need to," Mac suggested. The rest of the team agreed and soon began to carefully stand. However, the task of simply moving in and of itself was no easy feat as all eight full grown adults attempted to squirm their way around each other in the four by four enclosed space.

"Someone's on my foot!" Sid wailed painfully while quickly moving his foot from underneath someone else's foot. Unfortunately, this only caused Stella to trip over Sid's other foot and slam into Flack's body. The force of the impact caused the two to bump heads.

"I know you're not thrilled to be stuck in this elevator, but was a head butt really necessary?" Flack grinned while rubbing the part of his head that had made contact with Stella's head.

"Bite me Flack," Stella chuckled as she too rubbed her now painful head.

"Who's touching my ass?" Hawkes snapped and shot accusatory glares at the other members in the elevator.

"Whoops! Thought that was Lindsay, sorry Doc," Danny apologized sheepishly.

"Oh come on Messer, please apply some self control and resist the urge to feel up your wife in front of the rest of us," Flack quipped while smirking.

"Alright, settle down guys. We're going to be here for a little while so the very least we should do is get along," Mac stated as he finally got to the periphery of the elevator.

"Maybe we should all just try to get some sleep?" Hawkes suggested as he too reached the side and sat down.

"I don't think any of us are going to be getting to sleep anytime soon," Sid observed as he plunked himself down between Adam and Hawkes. The rest of the team followed suit and soon all eight CSIs were sitting against the wall of the elevator looking at each other.

"Well, we could always play a game to pass the time," Stella suggested from where she was sitting next to Mac.

"What kind of game?" Hawkes asked while looking a little skeptical about the whole idea.

"Oh! Truth or dare!" Lindsay exclaimed.

"What? No way. Are you out of your mind Montana?" Danny asked.

"Yeah Linds. What are we 13?" Flack asked exasperated.

"Oh come on you guys! It'll be just like when we were kids!" Lindsay defended.

Mac turned to look at Stella who just looked amused at the whole idea.

"It could be fun," she shrugged as she scooted closer to him in order to get into a more comfortable position. Mad didn't really care if they ended up doing the hokey pokey for the rest of the night, he was just happy to be near Stella.

"Ok, Adam, truth or dare?" Lindsay asked not waiting for anyone to grant her permission to start the game.

"Uhhhh…truth."

"Who was the last person you slept with?" Flack asked while grinning.

"Whoa, I didn't know we were getting that personal," Adam muttered as he picked at something on his shoe while refusing to make eye contact with a now visibly paler Stella.

"Oh come on Adam, what's the fun in playing this game if you can't get a little personal?" Flack asked while wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. Thankfully, Lindsay came to the rescue.

"I agree with Flack. In terms of questions, all subject matter is fair game. Agreed?" Lindsay asked. There was a murmuring of accordance among the team. However, seeing as Adam still looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him whole, Lindsay decided to cut him some slack.

"But it was my idea to play the game in the first place and it was my turn to come up with a question so Flack's doesn't count. Now let's see…" Lindsay put a finger to her chin as she began to think up a good question. Both Stella and Adam relaxed a little.

"Where's the weirdest place you've ever had sex?" Lindsay asked.

For the second time in ten seconds, Adam blushed.

"Ok, first off, can I just ask that this be a judgment-free zone please?" Adam asked while nervously looking from his bosses to his colleagues.

"Sure thing Ross, now spill," Danny stated.

Adam took a big breath before nervously replying.

"In the ballistics room at the lab, I'm sorry, please don't fire me," Adam spit out in one sentence before turning a pleading gaze to his boss. Mac rubbed his tired eyes and Stella had to bite her tongue to keep from joining the rest of the team in laughter.

"No way man! How did that happened?!" Flack asked clearly amused. Adam nervously glanced at Mac before continuing with his story.

"I was running DNA late one night and Kara-"

"Kara? You mean kooky Kara?" Danny asked incredulously. "You slept with kooky Kara? Dude, she seriously believes she lives with the tooth fairy!" Danny finished choking out in between laughter.

"Hey, she's really smart! And nice and a hard worker, so what if she's a little…odd. Anyway, it got late one night, and we were both really overtired and it just sort of…happened," Adam finished lamely.

"Well, good for you man," Flack said as he patted Adam on the back. Adam smiled slightly before turning to Sid.

"Alright Sid, truth or dare," Adam asked.

"Oh dare of course," Sid replied.

"I dare you to do the chicken dance," Adam said as he pulled out his iPod.

"Well that's not so bad," Sid said as he started to stand up.

"In your underwear," Adam smirked while the rest of the team groaned.

"Easy. It's not like it will be the first time I do the chicken dance in my underwear," Sid responded as he shimmed out of his scrubs and was left standing in only his boxers.

"How is this possibly not the first time you've done the chicken dance in your underwear?" Stella asked bewildered.

"It's just a Tuesday night tradition in the Hammerback house. Tuesday is chicken dance in your underwear night. Wednesday is naked Macarena night," Sid explained as Adam blasted the music as loud as the ear buds would allow it and Sid began to dance. All of the CSIs once again erupted in laughter at the sight of Sid, who looked like he could have chicken danced all night.

"My eyes. Oh God my eyes," Flack joked and he covered his eyes with both of his hands.

"Yup, definitely scarred for life," Hawkes concluded. When the song was finally over, Sid pulled his scrubs back on and sat down in his place and carefully looked over at who he should pick next.

"Sheldon, truth or dare?" Sid asked.

"Truth."

"What happened during your very first day working as a medical examiner at this lab?" Sid asked, knowing full well Hawkes experienced a very embarrassing situation. Hawkes sighed and shook his head.

"I…got locked in one of the body vaults in the morgue," Hawkes muttered while avoiding eye contact with everyone in the elevator.

"What?! I don't even understand how that would happen," Adam wondered confused.

"It was the night before I was supposed to start working here," Hawkes began. "I was so excited and decided to go out for a drink with some of the other guys working at the lab. One drink turned into a LOT of drinks…I don't really remember what happened or how I ended up there, but I woke up the next morning with the hangover from hell and lying in the morgue."

"And I found him there the next morning," Sid informed them. "It turned out that his buddies carried him to the morgue and left him there after he passed out at the bar as a practical joke."

"How come I never heard about this?" Mac asked while looking between his current and former medical examiners.

"I told him I wouldn't tell anyone if he agreed to do all my paper work for the next year," Sid answered.

"Yeah, I still have paper cut scars from that Sid," Hawkes quipped but smiled nonetheless.

While the rest of the team was heckling Hawkes about being locked in the body vault, Stella stole a quick glance at Mac, who couldn't seem to believe all the dirty secrets he was hearing about his lab.

"Sex in the ballistics room? Getting locked in the morgue? Reminds me of a frat house," he stated miserably to which she could only smile.

"Oh come on Mac, it's just harmless pranks. The integrity of the lab was never compromised. It just sounds like a lot of hooliganism to me," Stella replied. "Besides, I think a quickie in the ballistics room would be terribly exciting, don't you?" she asked while raising an eyebrow. Mac immediately turned a bright shade of red and tried to imagine Sid at booty-shakers so as not to reveal how he really felt about a quickie in the ballistics room to Stella. He gave her a tiny smile before the two were interrupted by Hawkes.

"Stella, truth or dare?" Hawkes asked.

"Truth."

"Have you ever kissed a girl?" Hawkes asked.

Stella rolled her eyes and pretended not to notice all the guy's now hopeful expressions.

"Once. In college," she admitted timidly. Mac raised his eyebrows in surprise as Sid wolf-whistled. Flack looked like Christmas had come early.

"Have all the guys in here regressed to junior high?" Lindsay asked dramatically while she eyed each guy's now ecstatic expression.

"I always knew she had a wild side," Danny muttered to Flack which just earned him a playful slap upside the head from his wife.

"And I love you too Lindsay," Danny replied sarcastically while rubbing the back of his head.

"Alright Bonasera, there has to be a story behind that," Flack urged her on.

"Oh, I don't know if you guys want to hear-"

"YES!" all the guys said at once.

"I did the chicken dance in my underwear, you have to tell the story," Sid offered attempting to sound reasonable.

Stella chuckled and shook her head before beginning her story.

"Fine. Well, my roommate and I were at a money party-"

"Wait, hold up," Lindsay interrupted. "What's a money party?"

"You've never heard of a money party before?!" Danny asked incredulously.

"Sometimes I wonder about what they're teaching you kids out there in Montana," Flack continued in mock seriousness.

"Why, what is it?" Lindsay asked for the second time.

"Oh money parties are a BLAST!" Adam explained.

"It's like a game. Each person starts off with a certain amount of money. Fake money of course. The object of the game is to end up with the most money by the end of the night. You acquire money by doing random things. Take a shot, run naked through the quad, win a game-"

"Have a girl kiss a girl," Flack finished while beaming. Adam smiled.

"Exaclty."

"Gotcha. Go on Stel," Lindsay said.

"Right, so my roommate and I were at this money party and it was almost the end of the night. And I was losing pretty badly. I barely had any money left. I was desperate to do anything to make up for it, but no one would give me any money. Finally, a guy came up to me and told me that if I kissed my roommate, he'd give us all of his money," Stella stated matter-of-factly.

"Did I ever mention that competitiveness is one of your best qualities Stella?" Flack asked while winking. Even though Mac knew Flack had a girlfriend and was only teasing, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of his flirtatious nature.

"Anyway," Stella smirked choosing to ignore Flack's statement, "when another guy next to us heard what we were going to do, he agreed to give us all his money if he could watch too. Pretty soon, we had just about all the guys in the room ready to give us all of their money if the two of us kissed," Stella shrugged.

"So you kissed her?" Hawkes asked barely able to contain his dopey grin.

"I did. And we ended up with the most money by the end of the night," Stella stated clearly pleased with herself.

"Was there tongue?" Flack asked enthusiastically. Stella narrowed her eyes.

"I already answered my truth question. But since you're so eager to talk, you can go next. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Flack answered confidently.

"What's the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you on a date?" Stella asked.

"Oh come on, embarrassing things don't happen to me on dates. I'm always on my A-game," Flack smirked while Danny just rolled his eyes.

"That's not what I remember. What about the first time you met Jess?" Danny started as he shot Flack a mischievous grin. Flack's smile immediately disappeared from his face.

"Dude, we're not going there," he gently warned while Danny gave Flack his best shit-eating grin.

"We're not going where? What happened?" Stella immediately asked while looking between the two men.

"Well, right before he started dating Angell-" Danny began only to be interrupted by Flack's hand covering his mouth.

"No one wants to hear this story," he muttered anxiously and glared at Danny. Lindsay gently pushed Flack's arm away from her husband's mouth.

"Oh come on Flack, now we have to hear this story. You're the one who decided to pick truth," Lindsay pointed out.

"Can I switch my answer to dare?" Flack asked while turning a pleading gaze to Stella.

"Sure, I _dare_ you to tell the story about what happened the first time you met Angell," Stella replied and Danny just smirked. Flack sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Fine," Flack agreed before taking a deep breath and beginning his story.

"Well, you guys remember the girl I was dating before Angell? The lab tech who was just a temp here?" Flack cautiously began. Everyone nodded.

"Well, she thought it would be a great idea one day if we…if we…" Flack couldn't bring himself to say it.

"If you what Flack?" Sid asked amused.

"If they wore each other's underwear to work," Danny finished for him. The team burst out laughing as Flack turned a bright shade of red.

"That was WAY more information than I ever wanted to know," Mac admitted as he finally allowed himself to join in on the laughter. Flack turned to face him.

"She thought it would be sexy. She was cute, I couldn't say no," Flack said trying to defend his actions. Danny patted his shoulder as he tried to gain control of his laughter.

"That's not even the worst part. Dude, tell them about the worst part," Danny chimed in while clutching his stomach.

"You mean that wasn't bad enough? It gets worse?!" Stella asked in between giggles.

"Oh much worse," Danny said with a big smile.

"Do tell," Lindsay snickered as she turned to Flack waiting for him to fill everyone else in.

"Well, the day we put the underwear plan into action was the first day Jess started working here. I figured I should be polite and introduce myself," Flack began. The rest of the team was silent, waiting for him to continue.

"We were sitting at my desk just chatting. I was filling her in on the latest case we would be working on together. Anyway, Jess dropped the pen she was using to take notes with and it rolled under my desk. Thinking I'd be a gentleman, I leaned down to reach for it forgetting that I wasn't wearing a belt-"

"And Angell was introduced to Flack's pretty pink thong!" Danny finished for him. This only caused the already giddy team to roar with even more laughter as they visualized Flack's g-string riding up from the top of his pants.

"No way man, and she still decided to go out with you after that? That's true love," Sheldon chuckled as he wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of his eye. Flack shrugged.

"Yeah. After the lab tech and I broke up, I had a very long conversation with Jess about why I was wearing women's underwear. She said she didn't care….as long as she didn't catch me wearing it ever again," Flack answered. While the rest of the team was attempting to control their laughter, Flack turned menacingly to Danny.

"Alright Messer, revenge time. Truth or dare?" Flack challenged. Danny briefly turned to look at his wife who just smiled and nudged him on.

"Truth," Danny countered back. Flack smirked slyly.

"Have you ever asked Lindsay to role play in bed? And if yes, what was the scene?" Flack asked already knowing the answer to this question. Danny looked stunned before turning to look apologetically at his now shocked wife. Horrified, Lindsay turned an angry face to her husband and began swatting his arm.

"You tell people about our sex life?! That's personal!" she shrieked as Danny attempted to wiggle away from the slap zone.

"Whoa whoa, take it easy Montana. It's just Flack! Come on, don't tell me you don't go and have your little girl talk with Stella every chance you get. I know how you women are," Danny rebutted. Lindsay stopped her attack on her husband's arm and looked down sheepishly.

"Fine, but this is like Vegas. It doesn't leave the elevator," Lindsay threatened as she pointed her finger at each person in the elevator and attempted to stare them down. Everyone quickly agreed then turned to Danny waiting to hear more about it.

"Well, Lindsay and I rented the new Star Trek movie the other night-" Danny began.

"What up! Another Trekkie!" Adam exclaimed excitedly, very pleased with this new fact.

"Yeah…right…anyway, you know that scene with Captain Kirk and Gaila. When they get really…you know…intimate," Danny finished lamely while Lindsay buried her face into his shoulder.

"You role played that scene?!" Stella exclaimed as she and the rest of the team tried to contain their laughter to save Lindsay the extra embarrassment.

"They sure did. Lindsay even painted herself green too. Danny told me all about it, I know all the details," Flack smirked. Danny narrowed his eyes and glared at Flack.

"If you list off any of those details, you're going to spend the rest of your days eating through a straw," Danny warned. Flack smiled and held up his hands in defeat but didn't say anything further. Danny quickly changed the subject.

"Ok Linds. Truth or dare,"

"Dare," Lindsay answered.

Danny got a wicked grin on his face.

"I dare you to kiss Stella!"

"Alright, girl on girl," Adam declared excitedly.

Lindsay groaned and rolled her eyes at her immature husband and the immature cheers from the rest of the guys in the elevator.

"Really Danny? You had to go there, really?" Lindsay asked incredulously.

"Couldn't resist. Besides, it's not like this will be anything new for Stella," Danny smirked as he shot her a goofy grin. Stella narrowed her eyes at him.

"You do realize I'm still your boss and I have the power to fire you right here on the spot, right?" she quipped before Danny held up his hands in defeat.

"I'm just stating the facts," he protested innocently. Lindsay turned apologetically to Stella who just rolled her eyes and shrugged. Then she got a mischievous gleam in her eyes. Lindsay understood perfectly what she had to do.

"Fine," she replied airily while hoisting herself up and crawling to the center of the elevator. Stella did the same and soon the two women were perched on their knees facing each other with the boys practically drooling around them. Flack and Danny were both grinning like idiots while the rest of the guys looked on in anticipation. Mac couldn't even pretend to be disinterested. Stella nervously tucked a stray curl behind her ear and slowly leaned forward. Lindsay leaned forward as well and let her eyes flutter closed as she puckered her lips. All the guys leaned forward as well trying to get a better look. When the two women were millimeters apart, both burst out laughing and pulled away. An echo of disappointed groans was immediately heard from the frustrated guys.

"Yeah right, in your dreams Messer," Stella smirked as she tousled his hair before returning to her seat next to Mac.

"Oh, you better believe I'll be dreaming about it Bonasera," Danny remarked which earned him a jab in the ribs from Lindsay and a slight glare from Mac.

"Me too man. I think we'll all be dreaming about that tonight," Flack muttered as he looked to the ceiling lost in thought.

"Whoa buddy, that's my wife we're talking about here," Danny stated starting to get a little defensive.

"Come on Dann-o. It's just some harmless fantasy…it's not like I'm asking her to paint herself _green_ or anything," Flack shot back tired of Danny snapping at him.

"Boys boys, calm down," Lindsay tried to but in realizing this was only going to escalate unless someone stopped it.

"Oh you want to go there? Fine, we'll go there," Danny concluded before continuing.

"When we were in college, Flack entered a Barry Manilow look-a-like contest…and won!" Danny announced. This was the straw that broke the camel's back as the rest of the team doubled over in laughter. Above the laughter, Flack shot a stunned look over to his best friend.

"Oh, so we're just randomly telling secrets now huh?" Flack asked starting to get more agitated.

"Well, Danny entered the same contest, came in fifth, and cried!" he retaliated. The already hysterical team continued to roll on the floor in laughter before Mac interrupted the boy's fight.

"Alright, that's enough," Mac stated while trying to control the rest of his team. "I think we're all getting a little overtired. This game needs to end now before someone says something they regret. Besides, I think we've all learned much more than we ever wanted to about each other," he calmly concluded. The rest of the team quickly agreed while sitting up and attempting to regain their composure.

"Hey wait a minute, Mac never got a turn!" Hawkes pointed out.

"Oh yeah, you're right. Mac, truth or dare?" Lindsay asked him.

"Come on you guys, game over," Mac tried but was met with protest. Knowing the only way he was going to end this game was by taking his turn, he ran a hand through his hair before answering.

"Dare."

Lindsay sucked her bottom lip in between her teeth and looked around the enclosed space for ideas. Her eyes landed on Stella. Suddenly, a devilish smile graced her lips.

"I dare YOU to kiss Stella," was her smug response. Stella's jaw dropped and Mac blushed as the rest of the team looked on attentively.

"Stella's a very busy girl," Danny observed earning him another jab in the ribs from Lindsay.

"Oh, I don't know if that's such a good idea-" Mac began only to be interrupted by his partner.

"I'm up for it if you are," Stella replied while smiling. Mac turned to her with an astonished look on his face.

"Really?" he asked uncertainly.

"Really. And I promise not to pull away this time," Stella continued, her stomach now filling with butterflies.

"Eek! Now you HAVE to do it!" Lindsay squeaked excitedly.

"Yeah Mac, a dare's a dare," Sid pointed out.

Mac turned to Stella who still had a genuine smile on her face. He then looked around at the rest of his team's animated expressions. Sighing, he carefully stood up and turned around. Gingerly, he reached out an inviting hand to help Stella to her feet as well. The rest of the team stood up in anticipation as they focused intently on the actions of their bosses. Suddenly becoming very aware of all the attention placed on them, Mac blushed and turned to the rest of his team.

"Is it really necessary to be staring at us like we're in a zoo?" Mac asked.

"Extremely," Lindsay concurred while the others nodded their heads enthusiastically yes. Mac turned back to Stella and did his best to ignore everyone else, which he found was surprisingly easy to do when he looked into her shining emerald eyes. He carefully tucked a stray curl behind her ear and gently turned her face up to his. Ever so slowly he closed his eyes and leaned forward, grazing her lips with his.

Mac felt his stomach doing somersaults as he tasted Stella's inviting lips. His tongue gently brushed along her lower lip, asking for permission into her mouth, which she happily granted. Stella snaked her arms around his neck while Mac pushed his body flush against hers, intensifying the kiss.

"Dude, you think that's how she was kissing that girl in college?" Flack asked while turning happily to Danny. Lindsay playfully nudged him with her elbow.

"Shut it Flack," she threatened in a sing song voice. Mac and Stella, unaware of what was going on around them, continued their make-out session. Mac felt as if the world was spinning beneath his feet and he and Stella were the only two people on the planet. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't the world that was spinning, but the elevator as the machine gave a shaky jump start and continued down to the lobby. The rest of the team cheered as they realized that they would soon be off the elevator. Mac and Stella, being a little preoccupied at the moment, were completely oblivious to what was going on around them and didn't realize that the elevator had finally reached the ground floor and opened its doors to the lobby.

"Taylor! Bonasera! What the hell do the two of you think you're doing?!"

Upon hearing their names coming from a shrill voice, the two of them hastily broke apart. Flushed and breathing heavily, they realized that the elevator had made its way to the lobby and they were looking straight into the angry eyes of Chief Sinclair.

A/N: Silly chapter I know, but we had a lot of fun writing it! Thanks for reading. Please review and let me know what you think! More soon :-)


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Busted

A/N: You guys rock! Thanks so much for all the reviews :-) Due to medical school kicking my butt, I've decided to make this the last chapter. However, be on the lookout for a possible follow up story this summer! Enjoy! :-)

Disclaimer: Nope, I didn't get it for my birthday, so I still own nothing.

"It's about time those two got together," Jess muttered under her breath from where she stood behind Sinclair. This only caused Flack and Danny to snicker and Mac and Stella to shoot her venomous looks.

"What the hell is going on here?" Chief Sinclair demanded as he crossed his arms and glared at the team. Immediately, all eight CSIs began talking at once trying to explain the situation.

"One at a time," Sinclair replied as he raised his hands signaling everyone to calm down. He looked over at Adam who seemed uncomfortable as he shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Are you ok Ross?" Sinclair asked.

"Sir, with all due respect sir, is it really necessary for _all_ of us to explain what happened here?" Adam asked.

"Where in the world could you possibly have to rush off to right this instant?" Sinclair demanded.

"Um….the bathroom sir. I really need to pee," Adam responded. Sinclair sighed and rubbed his eyes.

"Go," he stated while continuing to massage his face.

"Thank you sir," Adam immediately spit out as he rushed off to the nearest bathroom. Jess turned to Sinclair.

"Can I collect my boyfriend please? I've been waiting at the bar for almost three hours for him," she stated while offering Sinclair a pleading gaze.

"Fine," he confirmed. Jess grabbed Flack's arm and dragged him from the elevator.

"Thank you," Flack muttered under his breath as Jess began leading him outside.

"Yeah, well now you owe me details," she said while looking over her shoulder at Mac and Stella as the two of them left the building. Just then, Danny cleared his throat.

"Sir, we should really be getting home to Lucy…" he trailed off. Not waiting for a reply, he grabbed his giggling wife's hand and pulled her out of the elevator after Flack and Jess. The chief looked at the four remaining CSIs as if he were daring them to come up with an excuse to leave.

"Sir, I had to do the chicken dance in my underwear," Sid explained while Hawkes bit his lip to keep from smiling at Sinclair's expression of horror.

"How did you end up-" the chief began before stopping mid-sentence.

"You know what, forget it, I don't want to know. Get out of here," he finally said as Sid took his leave followed closely by Hawkes.

"Where do you think you're going Sheldon?" Sinclair asked. Hawkes turned to him with an innocent face.

"I had to witness Sid dancing in his underwear…don't you think that's enough punishment for one night?"

"…Go," Sinclair stated as he shuddered at the thought.

Hawkes quickly rushed out the door, leaving a very disgruntled chief with two very nervous CSIs. Stella nervously started played with her fingers as Mac avoided eye contact with Sinclair.

"Well, it sure seems to be getting late, so I think I'll-"

"Oh no you don't Taylor," Sinclair began.

"I want the two of you in my office…NOW," he growled before turning on his heel and storming to the stairs. Mac and Stella glanced nervously at each other before following Sinclair up the stairs to his office.

***

"Look, it's not what it looks like," Mac tried to defend himself and his partner as the two of them stood in front of Chief Sinclair's desk five minutes later.

"Oh, it's not what it looks like?! I get a call from Detective Angell saying she was supposed to meet you guys at the bar but none of you showed up and none of you were answering your cell phones. So when the two of us anxiously head over here to make sure you guys are all still alive, I open the elevator to see the two of you playing tonsil tennis!" Sinclair shouted.

"Hey!" Stella exclaims a little offended.

"First Danny and Lindsay, then Don and Jess, now the two of you? You guys are supposed to be leaders. You're supposed to set a good example! This lab is now starting to bare an uncanny resemblance to The Love Boat," Chief Sinclair finished while trying to put on his best angry face.

"Look the elevator stopped working and we were just looking for a way to pass the time-" Mac began only to be interrupted once again by Sinclair.

"By swapping spit with your partner?" Sinclair snapped, "I could take away your badges for this."

"If anything sir, it's you who's to blame," Stella boldly accused. Both men looked at Stella who had been mostly quiet throughout the whole ordeal. Sinclair narrowed his eyes at her.

"How in the world can you twist this one around and have it be my fault Bonasera?"

"Well, the elevator stopped working. Meaning someone forgot to have it inspected. Now who's job would it be to get the elevator inspected," Stella asked while pretending to be deep in thought.

"Sounds like it would be the chief's job to get the elevator inspected, don't you agree Mac?" Stella asked while turning to face him with a mischievous gleam in her eye. Mac immediately caught on to where she was going and played along.

"Oh yeah definitely," he agreed.

"The budget-" Sinclair began nervously but Mac cut him off.

"You mean there wasn't enough money in the budget to get the elevator inspected and ensure the safety of your employees? The same employees who risk their lives every single day for the good people of New York. That sounds unacceptable to me, don't you agree Detective Bonasera?"

"Oh, most definitely Detective Taylor," Stella concluded with a smug smile.

"Now wait just a minute you two-"

"I'm sure the mayor would want to hear about this," Stella continued while raising an eyebrow and directing her gaze to Sinclair.

"That's quite enough-" Sinclair began only to be interrupted once again.

"Well, here's how I see it," Mac began, "You can either fire both Detective Bonasera and myself and we can mention this little incident to the mayor. Or we can forget this situation ever happened and you can have the elevator repaired and inspected tomorrow," Mac offered. Sinclair looked enraged.

"How dare you-"

"I could go either way," Mac concluded nonchalantly as he challenged Sinclair's angry stare. Stella focused her eyes intently on the chief as well. Sinclair seemed to weigh his options carefully before letting out a frustrated sigh.

"I don't know what is going on between the two of you, and frankly I don't want to know. But if I catch the two of you in a compromising position like that again, I promise to take both of your badges. Understood?" Sinclair asked.

"Understood," Mac and Stella replied at the same time.

"Good. Carry on then," Sinclair stated as he reached for the phone book on his desk and started looking for a good repairman in the yellow pages.

Mac and Stella quickly turned and left the confines of his office and didn't stop until they were safely out of earshot of their boss. Once they were sure Sinclair couldn't hear them, both erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Oh man, how in the world did we get away with that?" Stella wondered while clutching her stomach as she wiped a tear of laughter from the corner of her eye.

"Well, I'd say it was thanks to your quick thinking," Mac replied while trying to catch his breath. Stella shook her head.

"No way, that was all you Mac. The way you just ran with it. I will never forget Sinclair's expression when you gave him an ultimatum. Priceless."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without you. We do make a pretty good team, don't we?" Mac asked softly while brushing a curl from Stella's flushed face. Stella blushed and looked up into his eyes.

"The best," she agreed with a kind smile.

"After everything that has happened tonight, I could really use that drink," Mac stated.

"Mac, we've been stuck in an elevator for almost three hours. It's almost three in the morning! We should really go home and get some sleep. Besides, I'm sure I'm a sight for sore eyes," Stella said referring to her disheveled appearance.

"Stella Marie Bonasera, you could never be anything less than beautiful. Not even if you tried," Mac softly admitted as he looked deep into her green eyes. He figured now was as good a time as any to clue her in on how he really felt.

"I know this is sudden and not the most picturesque setting in the world," Mac started referring to the empty hallway of the lab, "but if I don't say anything now, I know I'll regret it. I love you Stella. I love everything about you. You're smart, you're beautiful, and you willingly put up with my reclusive behavior. I don't know what I would do without you," he concluded as Stella's eyes instantly filled with happy tears. He gently cupped her face and brushed the few that managed to spill onto her cheeks away with his thumb.

"You don't know how wonderful that is to hear," Stella admitted as her mouth gave way to a huge smile. Mac wrapped his arms around her slender body as Stella nestled her face into the crook of his neck.

"I feel the same way Mac. This just feels right," Stella confessed while offering a gentle squeeze. She gently pulled back and looked deep into his cerulean eyes.

"I never thought I would be lucky enough to fall in love with my best friend," Stella admitted while more tears began pooling in her eyes. Mac gently kissed her tears away before pressing his lips to hers in a tender kiss.

"Alright, you owe me twenty bucks, cough it up," they heard someone mumble from around the corner. Surprised, Mac and Stella pulled apart quickly and made their way to the end of the hallway. Ever so slowly, Mac poked his head around the corner, but found that no one was there. Shrugging he turned back to Stella who also had a puzzled look on her face.

"No, you're not going crazy, I heard it too," she replied answering his unasked question. Suddenly, the door to the utility closet next to them burst open and out tumbled seven dazed crime scene investigators.

"Good going Adam. You gave away our position," Danny grunted form underneath the pile of people lying in a heap on the ground.

"I told you I had to sneeze! I couldn't help it!" Adam snapped back from under Hawkes' foot.

"Awww, you two really love each other?!" Lindsay squeaked trying to change the subject as she looked up excitedly. Stella put her hands on her hips and gazed down at the team at her feet.

"We were stuck in an elevator for almost three hours, why the heck are you guys crammed into a closet?" Stella asked exasperated.

"We missed the closeness," Flack replied sarcastically while sitting up and brushing off his clothes.

"And I clearly wanted to see what all the fuss was about," Jess deadpanned as she tried to disentangle herself from the rest of the group.

"How the heck did you sneak past the chief's office?" Mac wondered still in shock.

"Well, we weren't going to let Sinclair fire the two of you," Sid began like it was obvious. "So we took the back stairs up, just in case you needed some help defending yourselves and your…um…actions," Sid finished while smirking causing both Mac and Stella to blush.

"Well that was very thoughtful…but I'm not buying it," Stella replied while she crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at the team.

"What are you guys really doing here? And what's this I hear about twenty bucks?"

The rest of the team exchanged worried glances as they began standing. Nobody said anything. Finally, under Mac and Stella's intense stares, Adam cracked.

"It was all Danny's idea!" Adam exclaimed while pointing an accusing finger at Danny whose jaw dropped.

"Way to hang me out to dry Ross!"

"What? I like my job, I don't want to get fired," Adam explained.

"What was all Danny's idea?" Stella asked now starting to become frustrated.

"It was a bet," Danny started while shoving his hands into his pockets and staring at his feet.

"It was really more of a friendly wager," Lindsay explained trying to help out her husband upon seeing Mac and Stella's stunned faces.

"What was the bet?" Stella asked. Silence loomed around them once again.

"You really don't want to know," Jess started.

"Oh I think I really do," Mac shot back.

"Um…" Hawkes began scratching the back of his head and turned to the rest of the team for assistance. No one looked like they wanted to say anything.

"Spit it out you guys," Mac stated starting to get agitated at all the secrecy.

"Well, when we left the elevator, Lindsay and Jess thought you guys were completely in love and were going to confess your feelings to each other tonight," Danny began.

"And we were completely right," Lindsay pointed out starting to become giddy once more while Jess nodded her head. When the team grew silent again, Mac turned a questioning glance to them.

"Do I even want to know what the wager against that was?" Mac asked while slightly grimacing. Danny sighed.

"After that little encounter in the elevator, the rest of us thought you guys would want to finish what you started," Danny muttered while looking at his feet.

"Meaning?" Stella continued now moving her hands back to her hips.

"Meaning…we thought you'd save the talking for later and would be going at it in your office like a couple of hormonal teenagers," Flack smirked while gesturing toward Mac's office. Mac's jaw dropped as Stella covered her face with her hands in embarrassment.

"But really, it was just a silly little bet that didn't mean anything, and we're really sorry we were spying and-" Adam began rambling before Mac held up his hands signaling him to stop talking. After taking a few second to collect his thoughts, Mac began speaking.

"We're going out for a drink," he started referring to himself and Stella. The rest of the team was silent as they waited for him to continue.

"This encounter never happened and you will put everything back in the utility closet where it belongs," he finished referring to the cleaning supplies now strewn around the floor while eyeing each of them carefully. All seven CSIs nodded their heads enthusiastically yes.

"Yes boss!" Adam quickly agreed.

"Good. See you all bright and early tomorrow," Mac stated as he started to turn and walk away but stopped when he heard Flack.

"What?! You mean after everything that's happened tonight, we still need to be here at the normal time?!" Flack asked while groaning.

"That's only five hours from now!" Danny complained. Stella walked up to Danny.

"Well then, you guys had better hurry up and get this mess cleaned up so you can catch a couple hours of shut eye," she replied while gently patting Danny's cheek. Mac gently placed a hand on the small of her back and began leading her down the hallway away from the now grumbling group of CSIs.

"You think we were too hard on them?" Stella asked while turning to Mac. He instantly shook his head no.

"They'll get over it. Besides, I'm sure they're going to spending the next five hours talking about us, whether we make them clean up their mess or not," Mac replied. Stella chuckled as she slipped her hand into Mac's. They stopped walking once they got outside the elevator. Skeptically, Mac pushed the button while Stella offered a quick sideways glance. When the elevator arrived and the doors opened wide, neither made a move to get in it. Mac turned to Stella.

"Stairs?" he suggested.

"Oh yeah, the stairs are starting to look really good right about now," she concluded.

With her hand clasped firmly in Mac's, the happy couple headed towards the stairs for their well deserved drink.

END

A/N: I have no idea what Stella's middle name is, so I made it up. Thanks so much for reading! Please review and let me know what you think. Cheers! :-)


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